the past few weeks i have been thinking a lot about shame. i wrote a post in 2008 that engages with some of my thoughts about it called i hate shame so you may want to catch up there first, but i think i’m ready for round 2. i know shame isn’t the most popular […]
Read Moregratitude heals
* i wrote this post in november 2009 for the refuge blog. last night at our house of refuge, my friend shared how gratitude helps her connect with God. it made me think of this blog post & how true it is–gratitude does heal. right now, i am in a terribly difficult season physically & […]
Read Moreorphans
* this post is part of the monthly synchroblog. january’s topic, in the spirit of the season of epiphany, is the manifestation of God. check out other bloggers who are writing on the same topic; links are below & i’ll add as more come in. when i sat down to write about this topic, this […]
Read Moresingle mommies and daddies
this past weekend we finished up one of our favorite events of the year–the refuge and joshua station single moms crazy christmas brunches. this year, between the 2 venues we had 60 mommies. it was wild & fun. and trust me, it’s not a-tea-and-crumpets and remember-God-is-your-husband kind of event! we try to bring try to […]
Read Moremaking room for the unexpected
i originally wrote this post for christine sine’s advent blog series that she is hosting this season. it was a reflection from the series that we are doing for advent at the refuge called “making room for the unexpected.” i thought i’d just include it here, too, as part of this month’s synchroblog–the journey […]
Read Morehope is dangerous.
this saturday night marked the first week of advent leading up to christmas, a season we celebrate very intentionally at the refuge. it’s a hard time of year for a lot of people i know. it seems like loneliness, depression, fear, and shame seem to set in a little extra. in our community this year […]
Read Moregiving, receiving.
thanks, all, for the prayers and love. it’s been quite a week but i am happy to say that i am writing this blog post sitting at my kitchen table, yeah! i have a nifty little pillow & still can’t sit for more than 30 minutes at a time but after 7 full weeks of […]
Read Moremost of us aren't one sentence away from everything being better
we have a lovely group at the refuge called “advocates”. we started a few years ago and meet monthly for training-learning-practicing some of the issues related to journeying with people in hard places. we also have a smaller extension of advocates that meets more intentionally once a month to share the load together at the […]
Read Morebeing a better friend to ourselves
“love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: love your neighbor as yourself.” – Jesus * * * * * it’s always funny to me how we focus on the first parts of this […]
Read Moresitting at the rickety-card-table-in-the-family-room for thanksgiving dinner
this part of the monthly synchroblog i enjoy being a part of, bloggers writing on the same topic on the same day. november’s is a topic near & dear to my heart, seeing through the eyes of the marginalized. i encourage you to check out some of the other writers who participated, the link list […]
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